Wichita eagle., 1887-04-10

NIT ner Eullu, DuJ nOI say now scc EiaI cU-1-
mitted the theft. But this confession
suiiced, and on June "a, 1881, the unfortu-
nate Marie Keller was executed.
Unfortunately wo have such scanty in
formation relative to her end that we can
only say that the Lutheran pastor who pre-
pared her for death found her at i,st prey
to despair, still earnestly protesting her in
nocence, retractirg her confession, which
she declared was extorted from her sorely
By the uncomfortable asonies to which she
was subjected on tho rack. After a while,
however, the poor creature became more
composed, listened to his exhortstions with
meekness and submitted herself to the pros
rect Of death in resignation TO the viii of
God. The pastor was himself convinced
Of her guilt, and did his utmost to induce
her to admit the justice of her sentence,
but to this he could not bring her She
would confess again If laid on tho rack, but
never OF it. Shc forgave her enemies,
though she did not know who they could
be; nevertheless, she was SURG she had one
or more, or else, as she contended, how
could the ducat have como into her pocket?
She was hanged in the presence Of great
crowd, in the Bruder strasse, opposite the
door Of the house where the theft had been
committed-bafore the eyes Of La,npcrt,
who had been robbed; CT his wife, who had
vainly endeavored to save her; and of the
daughter, who had been with her daily
when the unhappy girl cleaned the room
where the money box was.
The poor girl had not been long dead be-
fore somehow q feeling arose among the
people OF Berlin that, after all, in spite Of
the evidence against her, in spite of her
own confession, Marie Keller was guiltless,
and that it was judicial murder that had
been committed.
The evidence was discussed, ard its weak
ness was seen. The counsel for the priso-
ner, the examining judge, the legal faculty
of Frankie /, the court, the public gen.
orally, had missed seeing one little feature
in the case which, when caught sight of,
completely altered its complexion.
Why was it that the mistress OF poor
Marie had offered her mother tho money to
refund Lampert his loss? Was the offer
made out of charity? 1t viii be renem-
bered that when Frau Keller narrated this
to the examining judge he put the story
aside ss lie, and did not ask another
question relative to it. Nevertheless, after
Marie's execution the old woman persisted
in her story, and as she did SO people asked:
Why did Frau Lampert urge tho money en-
the woman and try to induce her to confess
that her daughter was guilty?
The robbery in the Bruder strasse, in
stead Of bein3 forgotten after Marie had
been hanged and buried, seemed as if it
would not ho laid at rest. 1t continued to
be discussed; parties formed; sorao accused
Frau Lampert, others the daughter, others
again said that LamperS had made mis-
calculation whom counting his money, and
had written a wrong sum on tho ticket He
had not been robbed, he had lost nothing,
be had deceived himself. This latter opin-
ion slowly made its way end prevailed over
the others. It was the only really satisfac-
tory explanation Of tho mystery, and it
was one en,inently simple. It was in vain
for Lampert to protest that be could not
have bse9 deceived; few believed him.
That Marie was innocent everyone con-
cluded and that crime had been committed
was universally admitted, and Marie's death
was spoken Of as the "nurder in the Bru-
der strasse'-when-one evening es Lam
PER- came in from his tavern where he
drank beer with few boon companions,
as he opened his house door, he saw some
thing that mado him start back and utter a
cry OF horror. Before him wcs his wife's
body, hanging from crook in the ceiling.
Almost before he had recovered himself,
and had the courage to cut her down, the
examining magistrate and a policeman ar
rived. The former had received q letter
from Nine. Lampert, in which she con-
fessed that Marie had died innocent and
that she had surreptitiously taken the money
while assisting her husband in counting it.
As She counted she had slipped somo of the
coins up her sleeve. He was going ON the
morrow to Leipsic, and sho had been given
sum Of money only adequate to meet the
ordinary household expenses. This had
annoyed and disappointed her. If her hus-
band went 10 Loipsic he would enjoy him
SELF there, 60 to tho theater, drink wines,
dine well; whilc she was drudging at home.
Tho temptation took her to purloin a few
pieces Of money wherewith she hoped to
give herself aad her daughter sono amuse-
ment during her husbands absance Ho
had at once discovered the loss, and, afraid
OF his temper, she had not dared TO confess
what she had donc, but had slipped one Of
the ducafs into the servant girls pocket
Afte-ward, when II .rie was in prison and
under iI&- &-cStigati0D, sho had been too FRIGHT
ened to confess the truth, lest she should
have been imprisoned il tho place of Marie,
and have been sentenced TO the gsllows.
Thus she had seen tie unfortunate and
guiltless victim Of her crin,e die under her
eyes, and she had been ever since haunted
by tho sight and tortured By the sting of
her conscience.
This Letter she sent to the examining
judge By servant, and at orco proceeded
to hang her1elf clcso TO the doorway oppo-
site which Mario Lad been banged. When
she was cut down she was quite dead Tor
many years after tho people of Berlin
pointed to L.Inpert's house and spoke Of the
judicial murder in the Bruder strasse -
Belgravia-